Tag: featured

With the striking of a ceremonial gong, Prinx Chengshan (Cayman) Holding Limited went live on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at precisely 9:30am on 9 October. The tyre maker’s listing last month followed nearly a year of preparations and represents an important step in a growth and internationalisation strategy that also includes producing in Southeast Asia and making greater inroads into European and North American markets.

Technological tipping points are not always easy to identify, and the pace of change in the automotive industry can make it a challenge for garages not affiliated with new car dealerships to stay on top of new carfeatures as they begin to require repair. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are emblematic of this, and considering their centrality to the safe operation of many new cars, the stakes have also risen. Tyres & Accessories visited Hella Gutmann Solutions’ facilities in and around Ihringen, Germany to see how the supplier of diagnostic and camera and sensor recalibration solutions is responding to garages’ increasing need for new equipment, technician training, and data, to address the rise of ADAS.

The European Union has published its definitive decision relating to anti-subsidy duties imposed on Chinese-produced truck tyres imported into the continent. This follows the EU’s final decision on anti-dumping duties, which was released on 18 October 2018. In short, the latest document (which runs to well over 120 pages) demonstrates how large subsidies have supported some Chinese tyre makers. However, it doesn’t mean the overall per tyre rate importers have to pay will change.

Capacity at the Prometeon Tyre Group plant in İzmit, Turkey will increase by 75 per cent by 2020 in order to accommodate plans to almost double exports from the facility. This project will be funded by a US$115 million investment announced by the company on Tuesday.

Scotland’s Finance and Economy Secretary, Derek Mackay, held urgent talks yesterday with trade unions and the management of Michelin Tyre Company Ltd. to discuss the future of the Dundee car tyre plant, following confirmation of Michelin’s intention to close the plant by 2020.

Martin West retired as global president of Maxam Tire International Limited. He left the Sailun Group company at the end of last month and has been succeeded by Troy Kline. The president of Maxam Tire North America has assumed full responsibility for European operations.

An analyst report published by Jefferies International Limited has stated that the closure of Michelin’s Dundee plant “supports [the company’s] intent to accelerate cost savings during 2019-20.” Presenting its nine-month 2018 results in October, Michelin warned that demand had deflated in the car and truck markets and it was revising down its guidance; subsequently Michelin shares fell to a seven-year low.

Balkrishna Industries (BKT) has provided further details regarding its plans to build a factory in the USA. With a capital outlay of up to US$100 million, funded by investments and local debt, the tyre maker intends to establish a greenfield facility with an annual capacity of 20,000 tonnes.

Two months after the tyre manufacturer began a restructuring programme at its factory in Dundee, Michelin is set to close the plant at the cost of about 850 jobs. Michelin, which has run the Dundee site since 1971, says it plans to leave the city by 2020.

Through a new arrangement with Mitsubishi Corporation (Mitsubishi), Toyo Tire & Rubber (Toyo) aims to “survive and remain viable” during the “unprecedented transformation” currently occurring in the automotive industry. The two parties have entered into a business alliance agreement that involves Mitsubishi increasing its shareholding in Toyo from 3.05 per cent to 20 per cent. Toyo will issue Mitsubishi 26,931,956 new shares via a third-party allotment that will be paid in between 15 January and 28 June 2019. With this share acquisition, Mitsubishi becomes Toyo’s largest shareholder.

Michelin’s predictions that market demand has been tough and will continue to be sluggish till at least the end of the year (see “Michelin predicts significant slowdown in car and truck tyre demand“ for further details) sent shockwaves through the financial markets. Shares started off bad, falling 6 per cent in early Paris trading to a seven-year low, but continued downwards and were down more than 9 per cent by mid-afternoon to 89.54 euros. Ultimately, shares in tyre manufacturers dropped by as much as 10 per cent on the day (Friday 19th October 2018).

While many have been talking about chancellor of the exchequer the right honourable Phillip Hammond MP’s decision to increase the personal allowance threshold from £11,850 to £12,500 in April 2019, for those of us connected to the automotive and transport industries this year speech is probably best described as a pothole budget. True Hammond has raised personal allowance threshold and has raised the point at which people start paying higher rate tax (40 per cent) to £50,000, but the automotive industry was hoping for much more clarity and even support the wake of a Brexit-fuelled, uncertainty ridden market context.

American Tire Distributors, Inc. (ATD) has written to customers saying that the company is making “making significant progress with [its] recapitalization process” in a letter published on the firm’s recapitalisation website on 28 October 2018. According to the company, the steps taken “will strengthen our financial position as we continue our successful, game-changing transformation. We have a clear roadmap for the next steps in this process and the support of our key financial stakeholders has us on track to emerge by the end of the year as a stronger company with less debt that is even better positioned to serve our customers.”

Members of the Tire Industry Project (TIP) and other stakeholders came together on 25 October to celebrate the inauguration of a new platform for positively transforming the natural rubber supply chain. Following 12 months of stakeholder collaboration, the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) has been launched with what is described as “an ambitious and wide-reaching set of priorities” for the natural rubber chain.

The private equity firm building up a European tyre distribution group through its acquisition of firms such as Fintyre and Reiff has made a significant investment in North America. Bain Capital reports its acquisition of a majority shareholding in US-based aftermarket tyre and parts distributor Dealer Tire, LLC. The interests of Lindsay Goldberg LLC, Dealer Tire’s investment partner since December 2014, will be acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity. The transaction is expected to close by December.